Who Am I?

A wide range of life experiences have contributed to the writer and businessman I am today. I could just list them all, résumé style, but that’d be boring wouldn’t it?

I’d much rather tell you a story…

I’d always loved stories, but when I was 6 years old I started writing in earnest. Throughout my childhood I wrote fiction: short stories, poems, even started a novel (most writers have). I also wrote non-fiction: anecdotal narratives on life, my interest and growing knowledge of science and essays about life in Scotland.

But that wasn’t when I decided to become a freelance writer.

At 17 I went backpacking. Alone I travelled around Europe. Trainhopping from country-to-country I immersed myself in the richness of a multitude of cultures, landscapes, cityscapes, foods and languages. My travels were colourfully documented in a pile of notebooks and communicated back home through a personal travel blog.

But that wasn’t when I decided to become a freelance writer.

At university I studied a five year Masters of Engineering in Robotics. During these years I continued to write. I started exploring screenwriting and organised a team of talented individuals to make short films. Filmmaking is all about distilling stories to their bare skeleton. Over a summer I worked at a leading international electronics company (ARM Holdings), where I experienced corporate life first-hand.

Back at university, on top of the technical topics, I learned business skills, entrepreneurship and marketing. I excelled at report writing and clarifying complex concepts into simple language – my Honours presentation won the BP award for my year-group.

But that wasn’t when I decided to become a freelance writer.

I moved to Madrid, Spain, to embark on a PhD in telerobotics as part of a EU project working on robotic solutions for CERN (the European Centre for Particle Physics in Switzerland). As part of it I learned Project Management and Systems Engineering from leading experts. I also developed contacts with industry across Europe and immersed myself in the world of academic publishing. In my spare time I joined two writers groups and a poetry group, continuing to develop my skill both in writing and performing my work.

I completed the PhD in three years. After a total of eight years in academia, during which I’d continued to write screenplays, essays, poems and articles, I felt I needed to clarify my career goals.

I stopped to take stock.

There I was, Doctor of Robotics with experience and knowledge in both research and corporate engineering, but with a great love and desire to write and communicate to interested audiences everywhere, not just academics. How could I encompass all these areas into my working life?

That was when I decided to become a freelance writer.

What does this mean for you?

I have a passion for learning and a passion to communicate to your audience. This means that I can write whatever you need, however you need it. I have experience in various fields, and have been trained in business, entrepreneurship and marketing. I also have the experience required to turn complex ideas into clear, engaging words.